Baby-Your-Body Powder
MAKES 1/2 CUP
Summer weather can also be steamy and sweaty–provoking just as much discomfort as a hot, dry wind. Can you conjure up an image more indulgent than dusting your just-bathed body with a big fluffy puff of fragrant, soothing body powder that’s fresh-smelling and silky to the touch? The powder below is made without talc, a substance that can be harmful if inhaled. It’s safe for use anywhere, even for babies.
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fine white clay
• 7 drops lavender essential oil
• 3 drops German chamomile essential oil
1. Mix all the ingredients well; put through a strainer to distribute the essential oils evenly.
2. Store in a tight-lidded container. Apply liberally to chafed or overheated skin. (When applying, slide the powder puff, rather than shaking it, to avoid creating a cloud of powder, especially when using on children.)
3. For a variation, try a total of 10 drops of any other essential oils that you enjoy.
Click here for the main article, Skin That Loves Summer.
Mindy Green is an herbalist, aromatherapist, educator, and writer. She is also an esthetician, a consultant to the natural products industry, and director of education at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colorado. She is the author of Natural Perfumes (Interweave Press, 1999) and co-author of Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art (The Crossing Press, 1995).
